Oakley DRT3 MIPS helmet review

Oakley’s DRT3 MIPS mountain bike helmet is the big eyewear brand’s most affordable lid, sitting beneath the range-topping DRT5 and costing £60 less. However, it's still feature-packed.

Along with the MIPS rotational impact protection system, the DRT3 touts a glasses storage port where the front vents have a rubberised silicone section to grip the arms of your specs. Oakley dubs this the ‘Unobtanium’.

Its adjustable, large peak has four height positions with enough space beneath in the highest setting to stow goggles.

Oakley DRT3 MIPS helmet spec details

Cooling is on par with most other mountain bike helmets. There are 16 vents in total, claimed to “keep hot air escaping out the helmet”.

Two additional small downward-facing ports are positioned on the helmet's front underside rim, and are designed to channel air onto the inside of glasses lenses to reduce fogging.

The helmet’s hard outer shell extends around its lower rim, helping to protect the EPS liner from damage.

Its strap’s Y-splitters are height adjustable, and that strap fastens using a traditional plastic clip.

Like many helmets on the market, it uses an indexed micro-adjustable retention cradle. But the DRT3’s goes around the entire circumference of the lid, hopefully ensuring the fit can be tuned evenly.

It has a small, one-piece comfort pad and a silicone sweat guard located on the lowest point of the front rim, similar to Troy Lee Designs' A3.

This contacts your forehead to stop sweat from dripping out of the lid into your eyes by diverting it towards your temples.

A second set of pads and a carry bag are supplied with the DRT3, along with a single Oakley sticker.

My size-medium test sample weighs 367g, and is rated to fit head circumferences from 56cm to 59cm.

Oakley DRT3 MIPS helmet performance

The dedicated storage ports do a good job of holding your MTB glasses steady on slow climbs or gentle sections of trail.

There is a compromise between increasing how tightly they’re gripped to the lid – by pushing them deeper into the helmet – and not wanting to feel the arms against your head. When they’re positioned so the arms don’t contact your head, they are much less secure.

Comfort is generally good. The small amount of padding is well placed and soft enough to create a snug but cushioned fit.

Its silicone sweat guard amplifies that feel. Its ribs are flexible and soft to touch and do a great job of conforming to your brow’s shape.

This is great news for sweaty riders or people who live in hotter climates. During vigorous efforts or slow, sweaty ascents, little to no sweat drips from the lid into your eyes. Instead, it's redirected off to the sides towards your temples and ears.

Cooling and ventilation is as good as other trail and enduro-focused helmets on the market such as the Smith Session or Troy Lee Designs A2 or A3. It's better than the A1.

The glasses anti-fog vents are a nice touch, but in scenarios where they’re needed most – at low speeds – not enough air is circulating to make them useful. At higher speeds, fog does clear quicker, however.

There’s a large range of adjustment from the retention cradle, and it’s possible to crank the tension right up. Equally, the cradle's height adjustment means most head shapes can be catered for.

Overall comfort is good, but the lid has a longer, rather than wider fit. In my experience, the retention cradle narrows before it shortens when it's tightened.

Neither glasses nor goggles interfere with the lid, although the upper goggle frame does rest snugly against its rim when worn.

Oakley DRT3 MIPS helmet bottom line

Oakley’s DRT3 MIPS is a good trail and enduro-focused open-face helmet. Cooling is on par with its competition, as are its features such as MIPS, an adjustable visor and glasses storage.

The silicone sweat guard is one of its highlights, and comfort and adjustability are also noteworthy.

While £110 is a lot of cash for anyone, it’s about the going rate for a feature-packed lid.

As ever with helmets, make sure you try before you buy to ensure it's comfortable on your head.